Shifting from First to Third

Whenever  Charley Brant thought of an "asshole",  He automatically thought of his  brother Jack..

In Charley's estimation, Jack was as far from being an asshole as anyone that Charley had ever met. If Jack had an Ahole trigger,Charley didn't know what it was. Jack remained unfailingly agreeable, understanding, good humored, realistic and empathetic.

The brothers never argued.  When Charley's Ahole trigger was activated, jaded by crushed idealism, he would give Jack a call.  Jack always answered or got right back. Jack listened and understood Charley's side of every story.  Charley could calibrate the validity of his venting by Jack's level of response.  If Jack's response was more good humored than agreeable, more understanding than supportive, Jack rechecked his tude and turned his trigger inward before  he disarmed.

Charley was sitting on his porch one morning, chewing gum after a casual stroll . Since moving to Huntersville, Charley had become a full fledged porch monkey. Looking down Serenity Street towards Vanguard, Charley watched the approach of two walkers, Bill and Eileen. Charley's asshole trigger activated at the sight of  Bill's hat.  The middle aged man and  younger woman waved politely to Charley as they passed his porch on their morning walk.  Charley wondered 'what kind of a clown would wear a hat like THAT on a day like THIS. By the time the Bill waived,  Charley had already made up his mind that Bill was an asshole.

In other words, Bills hat had triggered Charley into becoming an asshole.

Even though  Bill's  wave was friendly, Charley's return nod was neutral  at best. The strolling couple took little notice of Charley's nod nor his attitude.  They were enjoying each other's company under the blue October sky. Charley was sure that they forgot all about him immediately even though Bill, Eileen and Bill's infuriating lid lingered in the porch monkey's troubled, triggered and judgmental mind. Then  Charley remembered that he had once seen Jack wearing a hat like THAT on a day like THIS.

In a split second Charley recalibrated his trigger;  Bill transformed into Jack. Charley imagined the healthy, hilarious, low key conversation that  Jack would have been having.  Charley began to perceive Bill so differently that he decided to write a story about him.

Charley didn't need to call Jack for calibration

If Bill walks by again, I'll give him something to remember, thought Charley.  I'll warm up my nod and say  "Hey Bill, I like your hat" while I turn off my trigger. After all, we are strangers, we are friends, we are neighbors, we are brothers and sisters,